The European Horn-Nosed Viper (Vipera ammodytes)

General info & Captive care notes

By Alex Strugariu

General information & biology:

Taxonomic distribution: Up to 5 different subspecies are distinguished:

Vipera (ammodytes) transcaucasiana has gained species status so I won`t include it in this article.

Description: Small, robust snake. From my personal experience, the average length is between 50-70cm. Specimens over 1m in length have been found.

Females are usually larger and have heavier bodies than the males but the latter hold the size records.

The dorsal coloration is extremely varied: gray, olive, greenish, reddish or brownish. There is a conspicuous zigzagged dark band all along the body on this background. The stomach is grey, reddish, or yellowish. The tip of the tail is red(in V. a. ammodytes) or green or yellowish(in V.a. montandoni & meridionalis).

Sexual dimorphism is present in V. a. ammodytes(males usually have lighter colors than females) and absent in V. a. montandoni(personal observation).

Ecology and behavior: It prefers dry, varied zones: scrubland areas, sunny stony hillsides, forest margins and prairies, stone walls, abandoned gardens, rocky outcrops.

It is fundamentally a diurnal species. Nocturnal activity has been observed and described by some authors but I have never encountered it.

It usually feeds on small mammals but it will also consume lizards, small birds, centipedes, other snakes(even its own species-personal observation).

It hibernates for a period of 2 to 6 months depending on the bio-climatic conditions of its habitat.

Reproduction: Mating takes place in spring(april-may) and in august-october the females give birth to between one and twenty 14-24cm long babies.

Venom: Its venom is very powerful and has proteolytic and vasodepressive effects. It can be fatal to humans but there have been very few accidents with this species.

Captive care:

Caging: From my personal experience I must advice any potential Vipera ammodytes keepers to house their snakes separately. I have seen this species bite each other for no apparent reason and even perform acts of cannibalism.

A good cage size for one adult individual would be 60X40X40 cm. For 1.1 or 1.2 I recomand a 100 X 60 X 40 cm cage. Slightly smaller cages would work for keeping Vipera ammodytes montandoni(which is significantly smaller than the other subspecies). Neonates should be housed in similar conditions to the adults, but scaled down to suit their size.

Any conventional substrate(including newspaper) will do fine for V. a. montandoni and V.a.meridionalis but the V.a.ammodytes I`ve kept are a little bit more picky and do better on more natural substrate. I currently use a mixture of sand, gravel and shredded oak leaves. I try to recreate their natural habitat as well as possible, using rocks and false leaves for decoration.

As with most snakes, the cage should be divided into two sides, a warm basking area and a cooler shady area with lots of places where the snake could seek shelter. Under the basking spot the temperature should not be higher than 34 degrees Celsius during the day while in the cooler area it shouldn't fall lower than 20 degrees. At night the cage temperature can be allowed to fall to around 18 degrees.

The snakes should have a permanent source of fresh water. No misting is necessary due to the fact that they naturally occur in arid areas.

Feeding: All specimens of V.a.montandoni and V.a.meridionalis that I've kept have ate both live and pre-killed thawed mice. No tease or force feeding was ever needed with these snakes. With V.a.ammodytes I've encountered the folowing problems: some snakes would only eat live mice, some only dead mice. One specimen for example completely refused food for 1-2 months twice a year.

I feed my adult vipers once every 10-14 days. Babies should be fed once every 5-7 days and usually accept both live and pre-killed pinkies.

Captive Reproduction: I have no personal experience in this domain but I will relate everything I know. Females will reproduce once every other year and the vipers must be bromated for 2-3 months in advance. In this period the temperature shouldn't drop between 2 degrees Celsius and should be kept at an average of 5-8 degrees. Breeding attempts are successful in the majority of times if these procedures are followed.

Handling: As with any venomous snakes extreme caution must be used to handle nose-horned vipers. I have noticed that the montandoni and meridionalis subspecies are usually more sprung up and defensive than ammodytes but the latter is usually more unpredictable, striking and biting different objects for no apparent reason. No one want to be a random object when it comes to these snakes. As a bite from this snake is potentially fatal, proper handling tools must be used. Most animals will ride the hook easily and they could be tailed if the animal is a heavy bodied one. However I highly recommend against doing so due do the unpredictable nature of these snakes. I found that the best way to handle these snakes is to use wide jawed tongs(24”-40” long).

DO NOT PIN AND NECK THIS SNAKE ! These are very powerful, muscular snakes(even if they don't seem so) and can unexpectedly jerk and escape your grasp. If you want to give it a close check up always use a clear plastic restraining tube. I have had several close calls when holding these snakes behind the head.

I wrote this article based on the theoretical and practical knowledge that I have gained in 6 years of working with these splendid and fascinating animals. I highly recommend this species to non-novice reptile keepers. Unlike other vipers(like Bitis for example), these snakes are pretty active during the day and rarely if ever do they stay hidden from view.

Photos:

Adult Male V. a. ammodytes: http://www.venomousreptiles.org/libraries/showfilepage/3660?offset=229

Adult Female V. a. ammodytes: http://www.venomousreptiles.org/libraries/showfilepage/4379?offset=299

Neonate V. a. ammodytes: http://www.venomousreptiles.org/libraries/showfilepage/4371?offset=292

Adult Male V.a. meridionalis: http://www.venomousreptiles.org/libraries/showfilepage/3665?offset=232

V. a. montandoni: http://www.venomousreptiles.org/libraries/showfilepage/4294?offset=274

V. a. ammodytes habitat: http://www.venomousreptiles.org/libraries/showfilepage/4367?offset=288